B&B Luncheon, April 2003

Risotto della Cozza alla Romana

Ingredients:

• 2 kg small black lipped mussels
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp fennel bulb, diced
• 350ml white wine

• 50ml olive oil
• 350g Arborio rice
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 30g butter
• 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 800 ml fish stock
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 250ml cooked "Surprise" peas

To prepare:

Mussels:
Clean the mussels and remove the beards (which are toxic) by pulling towards the wide end of the mussel. Discard any mussels that are cracked or open. Rinse in cold water.
In a deep pan, melt the butter and quickly sauter the onion, garlic and fennell. Add wine then mussels. Put on lid and allow mussels to steam for 4 or 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that fail to open (they could make you sick).
Drain, and save the liquid. Slice the mussels from the shells; place them in a bowl and keep in a warm place. Strain the cooking liquid which will be used in the risotto.

Risotto:
Wash the rice in cold water and drain. Place a knob of butter in a deep frying pan and add the oil. Sauter the onion. Add the rice and fry till it begins to change colour.
Slowly add up to 100 ml of reserved cooking liquor or else substitute stock for some of it if the liquor is too salty. Slowly add the hot stock, adding more as the rice absorbs it. In about 15 minutes, check that the rice is still "al dente" so as not to overcook it. Then remove it from the stove and stir in remaining butter, parsley, pepper and parmesan cheese.
Just before serving, fold through mussels and cooked peas.

Serve on warm plates with a light sprinkle of grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

Scaloppini Napoletana

Ingredients:

• 1Kg veal fillets - sliced into 12 thick pieces
• 60gm parmesan cheese shredded
• 75ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 125gm raisins roughly sliced
• 125gm hazelnuts roasted and finely crushed
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 lge bunch chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

• 1½kg vine-ripened tomatoes peeled and diced
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 400ml Soave or good Australian Chardonnay
• ¼cup fresh oregano leaves chopped
• 3 Spanish onions finely sliced and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• shredded parmigiano cheese

Method:

Place the veal slices, two at a time, under a sheet of plastic wrap and beat them flat with a mallet. They should be uniformly thin.

Combine the ingredients into a crunchy smooth paste and place a portion onto each piece of veal. Roll up and fix each with a couple of tooth picks.

In a large heavy frypan sauté the onions in the oil until soft and coloured. Place the twelve scallopini in the pan without removing the onion. Turn up the heat and keep on turning the scallopini until they brown. Pour in the wine. Simmer until it reduces to a third. Add the tomatoes and the oregano leaves salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 30mins.
Add a little water if the sauce thickens too much during cooking. Check the seasons and adjust as required.

Place two scaloppini on each plate and pour over liberal quantities of the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and shredded parmigiano cheese.

Zabaione Raffreddato con i Biscotti della Mandorla

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 8 tbsp caster sugar
• 8 tbsp Marsala al'ouvo or sweet sherry

• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 vanilla bean - seeds or essence - 1tsp
• 100gm blanched almonds
• 1 cup plain flour

Method:

The Custard:
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the whites until stiff. Mix the yolks with the sugar with a wooden spoon until you have a uniform creamy texture. Slowly add the fortified wine stirring all the time.
Pour this mixture into a double boiler over warm water and keep stirring with a wooded spoon without stopping while the water heats until just simmering.
Do NOT allow to boil.
After a few minutes the mixture will thicken.
Remove this cooked mixture from the heat and fold in the beaten egg whites to produce a fluffy consistency.
Spoon into stemmed glasses, eg, wine glasses and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Serve with a couple of pieces of home-made almond or apricot biscotti placed into the top of each.

Note: The risks in making zabaglione are: letting the water boil will result in scrambled egg - yuk; only using the yolks and expecting to get a fluffy result - forget it, add the whites and be sure!
Another corageous act is to dare to try serving it hot without including the egg whites. This recipe allows for a fluffy zabaglione served chilled in glasses.

The Biscotti:
Beat egg whites and combine all other ingredients.
Line a loaf tin with baking paper and spoon in the mixture. Bake in a warm oven at 150°C for 30 minutes.
Leave to cool - turn out - wrap in foil and leave for 24 hours.
Next day slice very thinly and lay out on a large flat baking tray (ungreased) and bake again at 150°C until crisp and starting to brown.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Wine List